Shutdown Corner

Tomlin hangs up on reporters after questions about ’08 playoff loss

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn't like a persistent line of questioning during a conference call with Jacksonville reporters this week, so he hung up on them.

Tomlin refused to comment on a controversial call in his team's playoff loss to the Jags in 2008. When reporters kept at it, Tomlin ended the call.

On her blog at Jackonsville.com, Tania Ganguli explains the testy relationship Jaguars' beat writers have had with Tomlin. It's something "he's laughed about with us in the past," she writes.

Ganguli then explains how on Wednesday, Associated Press reporter Mark Long asked the Steelers coach what he remembered in the team's 2008 playoff loss to Jacksonville. Tomlin said he didn't remember much, other than David Garrard converting a fourth-down draw play. Since it revealed months after the game that officials missed a crucial holding call, Long followed up by asking whether Tomlin sent the play to the league office. That's where we'll pick up Ganguli's tale:

We chuckled, but Tomlin didn't. So Long tried to explain it was a big game from a Jacksonville standpoint and that's why he was asking.

"Guys, that was four years ago," Tomlin said. "I understand that might have been a big game in Jacksonville but that's old news. Many of those guys are no longer here and definitely many of the guys that were in Jacksonville are no longer there. Anybody got any questions relative to this week?"

Three seconds passed and Vito began to ask a question, but Tomlin jumped in before he could finish his question.

"Thank you, have a good one."

Click.

Some have criticized Tomlin for the hang up. Not us, though. A reporter was trying to bait the coach into saying something controversial, Tomlin didn't fall for the trap, responded politely, used the words "goll-lly" and tried to move on before getting nothing and hanging up with a "thank you."